It’s probably best to keep that marble slab between me and my sisters, so I take a seat at the dining table instead of joining them at the island. “What’s this meeting about?”
Iris glances at Alex first and then Hayley before leveling me with an even stare. “We need to talk about the house.”
“What house?” Mom and Dad had places in Florida and Arizona, and a few overseas as well. But when Alex glances around the kitchen, I have a sinking feeling they’re not referring to the others. “Thishouse?”
The three of them nod, but it’s Alex who says, “There’s no point holding onto the place if no one’s going to live in it. We’re not in any rush, but it’ll make it easier if we sign the documents now so that when the time comes to put it on the market, we’re not under pressure to all be here at the same time.” She pushes a stack of papers with a pen on top across the counter.
“But we don’t want to sell it.” This is our family home. We all grew up here. Why does no one else seem to care about any of that?
“Maybe Dylan will move in. He seems to have gotten pretty comfortable in Still Springs,” Hayley mutters.
Iris seems to perk up. “Oh, yes. I want to talk to you about Jade.”
Here we go…
“We’re getting ready to make an offer on the store, but I need to know if she and her dad are open to selling. If we acquire Quinn Brothers, we could have a new Kings open by next summer when the tourists start pouring into town.”
I expected a dressing down about King’s Code, not a conversation about Jade’s store. Now that I know it’s Jade’s goal to make it work, I can’t let my family buy the place, even if our dad did dream of having a location in the center of Still Springs. He isn’t here anymore, but Jade is. Whether I stay in Still Springs or not, this is the least I can do for her.
“I don’t think we should make an offer at all,” I say.
Iris and Alex trade confused glances, but Hayley holds my stare, her neutral expression giving nothing away.
“Why not?” Iris and Alex ask in unison.
“Because Jade isn’t interested in selling.”
“She may not be, but I keep hearing that the store’s always empty and that they’re behind on their accounts. We’re not trying to kick her out, Dylan. We’re trying to help her.”
That may be the case, but we’re not going to “help” unless Jade specifically asks for it. “No offers unless Jade changes her mind. Okay?”
“Geez. Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Alex murmurs.
Now, back to our parents’ house. I take a deep breath. “I don’t think we should even think about selling this house.”
Iris’s head drops into her hands. “Dylan…”
“I’m trying to figure some shit out, okay? Give me a week or two and we can circle back. Please?” If I decide to stay, I’m going to need more space than the apartment on Main Street. And maybe Jade is right to surround herself in a place where she spent so much time with her family. I have a lot of good memories in this house—we all do. It would be a shame to give those away.
“Two weeks,” Iris agrees. Alex nods, but Hayley’s still a statue.
The two of them grab the papers from the counter and disappear down the hallway into Dad’s office. Hayley doesn’t move, and neither do I.
This has gone on long enough.
I miss my baby sister, and Jade clearly misses her too. Hayley’s had enough time to pout or process or whatever the hell she needs to do.
I get up from my chair and cross to the island to brace my hands on the marble countertop and stare directly into the eyes of the beast. “Call Jade.”
My sister’s sneer sends a shiver down my spine. “She doesn’t seem to care what I have to say, so what’s the point?”
“I never thought you’d be so petty.”
“And I never thought you’d break our family code.”
“Dad created the code to help us look out for each other. Telling me not to date Jade wasn’t to keep me safe. You were being selfish.”
“I was trying to save my friend!” she snaps. “You’re going to ruin her, and I’ll be the one picking up the pieces when you leave. Excuse me for wanting to save her the heartache.”
